THE WELKIN
Not for the fragile or faint of heart this intense drama, and I say this not only from the point of view of the audience but equally from the point of view of a theatre company, director, producer and certainly performers. This is weighty stuff, a dense text that requires dramatic dexterity, precision timing and the ability to deliver in equal part a searingly dark line or a comical moment.
And it is in that balance of dark and devilishly funny that the success of Lucy Kirkwood’s drama lies. The story is bleak, it is moving and it is deeply disturbing. It points mercilessly at the oppressive nature of a male dominated world, one where both law and medicine are alarmingly misogynistic, the word of a doctor carrying more weight than that of an experienced midwife, where a magistrate will ruthlessly convict a woman for a seemingly minor offence.
But this play digs far deeper, yes, it points at the unbalance in society, 18th century rural Suffolk but with so many things that poignantly ring true today. But misogyny is not the only vice on display here. This play points with equal sharpness at the attitudes and prejudices of the women portrayed. In truth the whole is a pulsing attack on society, male and female, rich and poor and the flawed way we live within it. And te inclusion of a Kate Bush song, delivered as period folk, is effective and hints that all is over, bathos in the true sense but also enforcing that contemporary poignancy.
Directors Nettie Sheridan and Gary Cook deliver a finely honed production, sparingly staged to great effect and wonderfully paced. It rattles along in the most marvellously naturalistic way, the dialogue spat out fiercely, lines crossing in anger, gentle moments where needed but never overplayed. The whole is a credit to them but also a credit to the most wonderful cast of mainly women and women of all ages. It’s also a credit to Brighton and Hove’s vibrant theatre community that a cast of so many talented actors can be pulled together. And given the scale of the piece it would be hard to name a few and not all of the performers. There is not a weak member of the cast, they are uniformly excellent and the only differentiation I would say is that some have more lines than others. This is ensemble playing at its very best.
Having said this it would also be unkind not to mention by name Polly Jones whose portrayal of Sally Poppy is a visceral masterpiece, and it is matched by the sturdy portrayal of midwife Elizabeth Luke, played so beautifully and mesmerically by Joanna Ackroyd. Two roles delivered with the qualities that one hopes to see but do not always get, from professional companies. We are blessed to have so many quality local theatre companies and so many professional performers working in them.
The Welkin is an exceptional achievement for Identity Theatre and I look forward to seeing their next production, Oh What A Lovely War, next season at BOAT.
Andrew Kay
23 October
Wagner Hall
Rating:
